Her Cyborg Awakes by Melisse Aires

Title: Her Cyborg Awakes (formerly titled Cybot Awakens)
Author: Melisse Aires
Genre: Sensual Scifi Romance
Publisher: Grand Street Publishing (first published February 1st 2009)
Available: $0.99 at Amazon
Rating: 4 stars
Rater: Pippa



From the publisher:
Sabralia lives a lonely but luxurious life in Emperor Sirn’s Harem, her only companion is her obedient servant, Qy, a cyborg. Her life has largely been controlled by others, but when Sirn demands his Harem pleasure his Commanding Officers at a victory celebration, Sabralia makes a daring plan to hide to avoid rape by Sirn's men.

The Palace is ambushed and her cyborg gets her off world. The impossible has happened−Qy the gentle cyborg becomes the man he once was, the warrior Kaistril. Pursued for valuable information, Sabralia is thrust into dangerous, unfamiliar situations where she must stand up to the challenges, or lose the man she loves. Sensual Sci-fi Romance Novella

Please note - I read the earlier release of this novella, and it's since been republished, so errors in the formatting and editing may since have been fixed.

What I liked:
The heroine was a 'plump little queen' rather than some kick-ass female warrior or skinny sidekick, but this fact didn't make her weak or unbelievable as a character. Despite her privileged background and lack of experience, she made up for it in inner strength, loyalty, and compassion, and her willingness to learn and take responsibility. It made a refreshing change to have a plus sized heroine, and one willing to take chances despite her natural fears. Her personal growth throughout this story was a massive highlight for me.

What I didn't like:
I'm not a huge fan of Alpha males, and despite Qy's submissive introduction, he's pure Alpha once he regains himself. But released from his cyborg slavery, he still holds himself back from claiming Sabralia as he could so I warmed to him. There were also more spelling and formatting errors than I'd normally forgive, including a couple of sentences missing so many words that I couldn't make sense of them - enough to pull me out of the story. There were also a few repetitions. However, as noted above, this novella has recently been rereleased, so I'm hoping those have now been fixed.

In conclusion:
For those tired of stereotypical heroines but who still like their males all Alpha (with a sensitive edge), this is for you. Enjoyable, sweet but with full on, passionate bedroom scenes, plus interesting touches of tech for the scifi fans.